Refrigerating apparatus



July 29, 1941.

L. A. PHILIPP REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Fild March 28, 1939 a lfiV EbiToR. I BY v j ATTORNEY. I

Patented July 29, 1941 REFRIGERATIN G APPARATUS I Lawrence A. Philipp; Detroit, Mich., assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation,

Detroit, Mich, a

corporationof Maryland Application March 28,1939, Serial No. 264,604

' 7 Claims. (01. 62116) This inventionrelates to an improvement in refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to cooling the condenser by natural convection and induced air currents. I

The invention consists in mounting the motor-compressor unit in a sound insulated housing which is supported within the machine compartment of a cabinet and beneath the 'food compartment.

The condenser for the motor-compressor unit is mounted along the rear wall of the cabinet,

and positioned adjacent to the condenser is a secondary condenser, which is connected to a cooling coil surrounding the motor-compressor unit. The cooling coil contains a suitable refrigerant for extracting the heat from the motorcompressor'unit and as the refrigerant vaporizes it passes to the secondary condenser. The heat dissipated by the secondary condenser produces a draft to increase the circulation of air back of the cabinet. This arrangement affords natural convection'cooling and induced stack air circulation for drawing the air through and over the primary condenser for cooling and liquefying the compressed refrigerant passing therethrough.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed Y out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section through a refrigerator cabinet and showing the condensers in end elevation.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangementof the parts of ,the invention.

Figure 3 is a view in rear elevation of a portion of the back of a cabinet showing another arrangement of thecondensers mounted. on the rear wall of the cabinet In the drawing disclosing the invention, the refrigerator cabinet I is provided with a food compartment II and machine compartment l2 disposed beneath the food compartment. The construction of the cabinet may be of any ap proved design and as shown the food compartment is provided with an opening M in the rear wall I5 thereof for the insertion and mounting of an evaporator l6. 7

electric motor 22 and a compressor 23. This unit is mounted within a dome-shaped shell or casing 24; and the motor and compressor are supported therein by an annular ring 25 which engages the motor 22 and the cover plate 25 of the shell.

Sound deadening insulation I9 is introduced in the container I1, and entirely surrounds the shell 24, for soundproofing the motor-compressor unit. v

The low pressure refrigerant'is delivered to the casing or shell 24 from the evaporator through a conduit 28-connected to a suitable coupling 29 carried by the cover 26. The refrigerant then passes through another conduit-30 connected to the coupling 29 into the shell 24. The refrigerant in the shell is conducted to the compressor 23 by a conduit 32, which has its open end in open communication with the conduit 30. The compressed refrigerant is discharged from the compressor through conduits 33 and 34 to the primary condenser 35. The conduits 33 and 34 are connected by a suitable coupling 35 carried by the cover"'26. The refrigerant vapor will be condensed in the condenser 35, and the liquid refrigerant will be conducted therefrom through a conduit 38 to a suitable high side float-mechanism 39 and then delivered to the evaporator l6 by. a conduit 40.

The condenser 35, may be of any suitable construction, but as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2,

consists of end plates 42 through which extend sinuous tubing 43', provided with fins 44. The condenser is supported on the back or rear wall l5 of the cabinet It, by brackets 45, l5, so that the condenser is arranged in spaced relation and parallel with the back and produces a flue or stack therebetween. If desired, the condenser 35 may be constructed of sheet metal material as disclosed in the patent to Litle No. 1,759,513,

issued May 20, 1930, so as to form a solid wall flue when so mounted.

Encircling theshell or casing 24, of the motorcompressor unit and in thermal contact there- A suitable housing or container I1 is mounted within the machine compartment l2, and is preferably supported therein by means of springs l8, l8 interposed between the base of the container l1 and the bottom 20 of the machine compartment l2. Mounted within the container I1 is a motor-compressor unit, which consists of an with, is a coil of tubing 46 which is charged with a quantity offfluid capable of absorbing heat. Any suitable refrigerant fluid may be employed,

such as sulphur dioxide or even water. The ends 41, 41 of the coiled tubing are connected to the headers 48, 48 of a secondary condenser 50 supported on the rear wall l5 of the cabinet and adjacent the primary condenser 35. The condenser 50, may be of any preferred construction.

but as shown, consists ofheaders .48", 48 having a series of tubes 5|, 5l-interposed therebetween and connected to the headers for the circulation 2 of the cooling agent. The tubes 5| are provided with fins 52 for dissipating the heat.-

The refrigerant or secondary cooling, agent contained in the coiled tubing 46 will circulate and be caused to boil within the tubing as the heat of the motor and compressor is transmitted through the casing 24, to the coil, and the vapors emanating from the'cooling medium will enter the condenser 50 through one of the tubes 41, where the vapors will condense and the condensed liquid will return through the other tube 41 from the condenser to the coiled tube 46 for further'circulation and cooling. The coiled tube 46 and condenser 50' therefore function as a heat exchanger for the sealed casing 24 of the motor-compressor unit.

The secondary condenser Sills positioned at a suitable elevation between the rear wall ii of the cabinet and the primary condenser 35, so

that the heat dissipated therefrom will produce adraft in the flue or stack formed by the rear wall 15 of the cabinet and the primary condenser 35', to increase circulation of air in back of the cabinet. In this manner, the induced draft increases the air circulation through the main or primary condenser 35, and produces natural convection cooling.

In the construction illustrated in Figure 3, the system employed therewith is similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2, but in this instance the secondary condenser 50 is disposed directly above the main or natural convection condenser 35. Air flows into the finned main condenser 35, and a draft-is created by the hot secondary'coiidenser 5!, thereby establishing an induced draft which assists in drawing air through the main condenser. for cooling the compressed refrigerant therein;

parent that by disposing the secondary condensers at the side or top of the main condensers drafts of air will be induced along with the natural convection air currents for cooling the main condenser, and by mounting the condensers along a wall of the cabinet a flue or stack is produced to more effectively increase circulation of the air currents.

The flue or stack is formed by the main condenser which ispreferably of a length substantially equal to the height of the cabinet, and-arranged across the machine compartment, so that the air currents passing through the machine compartment and from around the cabinet will flow up the flue and draw air through the condenser. The motor-compressor unit is insulated against sound within the machine compartment,

and the he t generated thereby is absorbed by the cooling-coil 46 and transferred to the secondary condenser or dissipator 50. By soundproofing the motor-compressor unit and providing a heat dissipator therefor, the machine compartment is maintained in a comparatively cool condition, so

that the air drawntherefrom and around the cabinet into the flue and through the main condenser is not greater than room temperature.

'I claim: 1. Refrigerating apparatus, including a cabinet, a compressor arranged in said cabinet and having a. condenser disposed along the side wall of said cabinet, and a secondary condenser inde- 1 pendent of said first mentioned condenser arranged adiacent said condenser for inducing air currents through said condenser.

- 2. Refrigerating apparatus, including a cabinet,

a compressor arranged in said cabinet and having a condenser disposed in spaced relation to the side wall of said cabinet, and a heat dissipator net wall and said interposed between said cab I w of air through condenser for inducing the said condenser.

3. Refrigerating apparatus; comprising a cabinet having a machine compartment, a compressor in said compartment having a condenser arranged adjacent a wall of said cabinet, means associated with said compressor for circulatinga cooling fluid in thermal contact therewith, and a condensermonnected to said means, and disposed adjacent said first mentioned condenser for creating a flow of air through said condenser.

4. Refrigerating apparatus, comprising a cabinet, a compressor in said cabinet and having a condenser. arranged along the sidewall of said cabinet, and a heat dissipator disposed above said i condenser for creating .a draft of air over said condenser,

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet, a compressor in said cabinet and having a condenser arranged along the side wall of said cabinet, and a heat dis'slpator associated with said compressor for absorbing the heat therefrom and disposed adjacent said condenser for inducing an-air' draft across said condenser.

6. Refrigerating apparatus, comprising a cable net, a compressor in said cabinet; and having a condenser arranged with respect to the sidg wall of said cabinet for forming a flue or stack, and a second condenser independent of the first condenser arranged in said fiue for causing a draft of air to flow through said flue and across said first condenser.

'7. Refrigerating apparatus, comprisinga cabicompartment, a sealed net having a machine compressor-motor unit in said compartment, means enclosing said sealed 'unit for soundproofing the unit, a condenser associated with said unit arranged with respect to the side wall of said cabinet ,for forming an air flue, means associated with said unit for circulating a cooling fluid in thermal contact therewith, and a heat ex-' changer connected to said means and disposed in said flue for dissipating the heat absorbed and creating a draft of air through said flue and across said condenser. I

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP. 

